TAKEN: A Lament for a Lost Ethnicity

by Kathryn Schaeffer Pabst, Douglas Schaeffer Pabst (Editor)

The Donauschwaben, a mostly unknown ethnic group of Germans, migrated to Yugoslavia in the late 1700s. Endless boundary conflicts varyingly defined their land as Hungary, Yugoslavia, or Serbia. During World War II their ethnicity unfairly marked them as Nazi sympathizers despite their noncombatant status. They found themselves on the wrong side of every border as a wave of anti-German resentment legitimized their persecution and A Lament for a Lost Ethnicity relates the intimate memoirs of Joseph Schaeffer, an ethnic Donauschwaben. Joseph's childhood is stolen the day the Russians march into town. He is captured and taken from his land and family to a slave labor camp of endless suffering and years of imprisonment. Hope is restored after a courageous escape and eventual immigration to the United States. This enduring tale of survival eventually reunites the Schaeffer family and life begins anew."TAKEN is a testament to one man's tenacity and courage and an affirmation of hope and life in a world full of despair and death. The plight of refugees in post-war central Europe is an important, yet neglected story. Joseph Schaeffer's life and memories bring poignancy and immediacy to that story. Kathryn Schaeffer Pabst ably crafts the memoir and deserves our appreciation for bringing her father's story of survival to us."-Eugene Edward Beiriger, Ph.D., Associate Professor of History, DePaul University

108 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2006

Reviews

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I may be biased, but this family history is amazing! This follows the story of Joseph Schaeffer, whose life is torn apart by the Soviets in WWII. Given the middle name of the author, feel free to take it as a given that his life is stitched back together, but there's a rather thrilling tale of escape in the middle.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting life story as told by the daughter of a survivor of Tito totalitarianism. This book contains first hand accounts of the trials of the Donauschaben people of Germany and Eastern Europe. It is a fast and interesting read for any student of history or of the German people surviving in Post War Europe.